*Barbara G. Walker/The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets:
Medieveal totems of witches were frogs because ancient traditions associated the frog with Hecate--Egypt's Hekat, Queen of the Heavenly midwives. Egyptians
made the frog a symbol of the fetus. Hekat's sacred Amulet of the Frog bore the word, "I am the Resurrection," another phase of birth-magic
copied by early Christians.

In Rome, the frog was sacred to Venus, of whome Hecate was one aspect. Her triple yoni sometimes was shown as a fleur-de-lis composed of three frogs. To this
day, a garment closure of cord shaped like a fleur-de-lis is called a "frog." Tailors' folklore said every garment should have exactly nine
frogs, which might be traced all the way back to Babylonian cylinder seals showing nine frogs as a fertility charm: the Ninefold Goddess ruling the nine months
of gestation.

*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:
In mythology, references to the frog are relatively few, but when they do appear, they are quite specific.

To the ancient Egyptians their Goddess of Childbirth, Heket, had the head oand sometimes the entire form of a frog. In an Egyptian myth, Heket and her
ram-headed husband, Khnum, were the first to "build men and make gods."

One has also to recall that frogs were called up by Moses and Aaron as the second plague of Egypt (Exodus 8:6). Likewise, for Christians in the book of
Revelation, seven angels "poured out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. " It was said there wen the sixth wrath came, "three foul
spirits like frogs" appeared (Revelations: 16:13).

In Greek mythology the wantering Leto, after giving birth to Apollow and Artemis, was prevented from quenching her thirst in a pool of water by rude shepherds.
Leto changed them into frogs.

In Queensland, Australia, an aboriginal myth holds that a great frog caused drought and suffering by swallowing all the water in the world. In the belief that,
if the frog could be made to laugh, he would bring up the water and all would be well, several animals were brought to entertain him. it was not until a
squirming eel was found, which made him roar with laughter, that the waters burst out to flood the world and drown mankind.

Among the Huron tribe in North America there exists a similar story. All water was contained in the belly of a huge frog, until Ioskeha stabbed him, thereby
returning the waters to the lakes and rivers.

In Japan, the frog is one of the animals of the zodiac.

The frog was held symbolic of fertility due to the fact that it lays a great many eggs at one time. It was also held as a reliable weather predictor, since it
croaked whenever rain was on the way. In fact, a Hindu hymn, "Rigveda," suggests that frogs were worshipped for bringing rain.

Traditionally, the Orinoco tribes in Venezuela keep frogs captive and beat them in times of drought. For the Hindus, pouring water over a frog or hanging it up
was said to yield the same result. in Malaya, one had simply to swing a frog at the end of a cord to bring rain.

During Roman times, the frog was a popular mascot and was believed to bring good fortune to the home of its possessor. There were all sorts of useful purposes
frogs could suit.

Should one wish to get information from a sleeping woman, for example, you need only put a frog's tongue on her heart.

To make yourself popular, you could carry a frog's decayed bones. A green frog, enclosed in a pot of fresh earth and buried in the middle of your field,
was said to protect the field against birds. To cure warts, one could simply impale a frog on a stick and rub the warts on the frog. They would disappear as
the frog dies, says a Welsh tradition. Already mentioned was the ancient belief that young frogs, if swallowed, would cure cancer.

One should never kill frogs because they are said to be the souls of dead children. It is also said tha tthey possess the power to "sterilize" those
who touch them.

Ashes of a pregnant frog, if attached to a woman's belt, were believed to cause her menstrual flow to cease. The same ashes hung around the neck of a hen
were thought to cause its bleeding to stop. yet another tradition holds that hiar will not grow on places rubbed with these same ashes, if dissolved in water.

Should a frog come into one's house on its own accord, it is believed to bring good luck.

Hanging the dead body of a frog in orchards and vineyards will protect against fog and storms. If hung in a grainery, the grain itself will be guarded.

One suffering from eye inflammations can be cured by hanging the corresponding eye of a frog around his neck. The physician, Galen, held that a frog boiled in
water and vinegar, held in one's mouth for some time, would cure toothache. Spitting in a frog's mouth was believed yet another way to cure toothache,
while an Arabic text of the ninth century claims that this same act will preent a woman from conceiving for an entire year.

In the seventeenth century, epilepsy was believed curable with a powder made from a frog's liver.

The eye of a frog plucked before sunrise and swallowed or worn as an amulet was thought to cure fever.

In American folklore a soup made from nine frogs is said to cure whooping cough, while a wish mad upon seeing the first frog in spring was believed to come
true, if kept secret. A frog found when neither the sun nor the moon was shining, if one of its hind legs was cut off, was said to cure gout, cancer, and
tuberculosis. The tradition that the croaking of frogs indicates rain is also wide-spread. Likewise, some Indian tribes, in accepting this same belief, capture
frogs and tap them regularly in order to ensure a supply of water.

Last, mention must be made of the fact that the Wends, a primitive Slavic tribe, hold newly born children are brought by frogs and not the stork!

*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:
A frog can be a sign of stillness, patience, and focus. The frog sits in seemingly complete stillness, waiting patiently for the fly. When one comes into
sight, it has absolute, direct focus in catching it.

Many ancient rites associate the frog with the moon and also with rituals to invoke rain. In Egypt, the frogs that lined the Nile a few days before it flowed
over its banks were regarded as symbols of fertility. Frog gods were placed on mummies. Madame Blavatsky, a mystic and philosopher, said that the frog
symbolized creation and resurrection because it lived both in water and on land, and because it would disappear in the autumn and reappear in the spring.

This may be a sign of inconsistency, or of hopping from one thing to another.

In some cultures the frog is a sign of purification and cleansing.The Mayan and Aztec shamans thought baout frog energy as they sprayed water out of their
mouths over those who were sick.

The frog sign may reflect a desire to find your shining prince, as the princess kissed the frog and it was transformed into a prince. This can be a sign of
transformation and finding the beauty behind surface ugliness.

*Jamie Sams & David Carson/Medicine Cards:
Cleansing. Frog sings the songs that bring the rain and make the road dirt more bearable. Frog medicine is akin to water energy, and the East on the medicine
wheel. Frog teaches us to honor our tears, for they cleanse the soul. All water rites beong to Frog, including all initiations by water.

Water prepares and cleanses the body for sacred ceremony. it is the element we understand best in the womb. Frog, like ourselves, is a polywog in the fetal
waters, and only learns to hop after it experiences the world of fluidity.

The transformation into adulthood prepares Frog for its power to call in the waters of the skies: the rain. In knowing the element of water, Frog can sing the
song that calls the rain to Earth. When the ponds are dry, Frog calls upon the Thunder Beings to cleanse and replenish the Earth with water. Like Frog, we are
asked to know when it is time to refresh, purify, and refill the coffers of the soul.

If Frog hopped into the cards you chose today, its "ribit" may be calling in the cleansing you need. If you were to look at where you are today,
would you use any of the following words to describe your condition: tired, overloaded, harried, frustrated, guilty, itchy, nervous, at a loss, empty, or
weakened?

If so, take a break and allow yourself to bathe in the waters of Frog medicine. This could mean a long, relaxing bath, disconnecting the phone, yelling
"stop," or taking in deep, cleansing breaths.

The key thought is to find a way to rid yourself of distracitons and to replace the mud with clear energy. Then replenish your parched spirit, body, and mind.

An ability of Frog medicine people is to give support and energy where it is needed. A Frog medicine person can clean negativity from any environment. Many
mediums and clairvoyants who work with cleaning "haunted" houses carry Frog medicine. Many of the world's seers use water on their hands when
tapping into other realms of reality due to water's super-conductive nature.

In Mayan and Aztec shamanistic pratices, the shaman places water in his or her mouth and sprays it over the body of a patient to clear away negative energy.
This is done while holding the thought of Frog firmly in the mind so that healing may occur and the patient may be replenished with positive energy. Sometimes
dried and stuffed Frogs are also used to guard the person's body during the session.

Frog speaks of new life and harmony through its rain song. The deep tones of Frog's "ribet" are said to be a call to the Thunder Beings: thunder,
lightning, and rain. The "ribet" is the heartbeat that comes into harmony with Father Sky and calls for the replenishment needed. Call to Frog and
find peace in the joy of taking time to give to yourself. A part of this giving is cleansing yourself of any person, place, or thing that does not contribute
to your new state of serenity and replenishment.

Contrary: Frog slipped in the mud and is lying on his back, unable to right itself. Get ready for more mud in your eye.

The contrary position of Frog can denote an unwilingness on your part to wipe the mire out of your life. Mud can turn from mire to bog to quicksand if you
don't recognize its effect on your present situation.

Is someone draining your energy? Are you allowing yourself to ride down the tubes with them? Have you tried to settle someone else's quarrel and gotten in
the line of fire? Stop! Recognize what it is that is mucking up the lily pond. Swim with Frog. Frog's bug eyes see it all. Dive deeply, and then hop to the
next lily pad to catch the sun. in this way you may see exactly what has been draining your energy.

At times, all of life's activities can be overwhelming, and everyone occasionally needs a break. Contrary Frog can signal one of these moments, but can
also portend a time of feeling waterlogged. In feeling waterlogged, you may be dealing with too many emotions or feelings. This is to say that "the world
is too much with you," or that you have immersed yourself in one idea or activity to the exclusion of all other factes of your life. If this is the case,
a break from routine is suggested. Hop to other lily pads or visit other ponds for awhile.

Negativity is drawn to you when you refuse to give yourself the time and space needed to assume a new viewpoint. Frog in the contrary position is an omen that
you are courting disaster if you don't stop and smell the lilies, eat some flies, bask in the sun, and "ribet" until the rain comes to refill
your spirit.

*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick: These
creatures are of the aquatic Amphibia, which have no
tails. The true frog belongs to the family Ranidae, which
includes the frog of Europe and the bullfrog of North
America. True frogs are most diverse in Africa where the
largest of them is nearly a foot long. A native of Cuba,
the smallest frog is less than half an inch long. True
frogs are aquatic and have smooth skins and webbed feet.
Some tree frogs in Africa have feet with suction disks on
their toes. The "hairy frogs" of West
Africa develop hairlike growths on their bodies during
breeding season.

The frog has been a
Goddess symbol of rebirth since the earliest Neolitic
times. It has been made into figurines, painted on walls
and ceramics, and engraved on stone.

The Egyptians had a frog goddess Heket, who was called
the midwife of the world, and who protected mothers and
newborn children. She was portrayed either as a frog
itself or with the head of a frog. The amulet of the frog
was often buried with mummies; on it was engraved
"I am the Resurrection." The frog was
also a symbol of the Great Mothers, Isis and
Hathor.

In China, the Frog Spirit,
called Ch'ing-Wa Sheng, was worshiped both as a healer
and as a deity who brought prosperity in business. The
frog was a Chinese lunar symbol; a frog pictured in a
well meant a person who had only limited
understanding.

The Greeks and romans
considered this creature to be both an emblem of
Aphrodite (representing licentiousness), and a symbol of
fertility and harmony between lovers. It was also a
companion of the nymphs. Hecate is associated with frogs
in very ancient lore.

Around the
world, the frog had a variety of meanings. In the Rig
Veda of India, frogs were invoked as deities in their own
right. However, the Zoroastrians believed them to be an
evil creature of their demon god Ahriman. To the Celts,
the frog was Lord of the Earth and represented healing
Water.

In many parts of the world,
the frog or its image was used in rain charms. An ancient
Babylonian cylinder, used as a fertility charm, shows
nine frogs. The frog was also cited as one of the
witches' familiars.

One Winter we
heard a frog singing away in the plant room. We finally
decided it must be hidden in the large fern. Since the
frog's presence didn't disturb us, we left him there.
When Spring came and the frogs outside began to sing
their mating calls, we no longer heard our visitor. We
couldn't understand where it had gone, but when Summer
ended we discovered its clever exit point. The cat door
was flush at the bottom with the floor in the plant room.
The frog simply backed up to the door and pushed until it
could go in or out.

Supersititions:
Pliny the elder said that frogs attracted friends to your
house along with good luck. It is still considered to be
a reliable weather-predictor as it will croak when the
barometer goes down. Croaking during the day is an omen
of rain. If a frog comes into your house by itself, it
symbolizes good luck arriving. The ornamental cloth
closing for garments (called a frog) may be a remnant of
an old French custom of embroidering frogs on clothes for
good luck. In many places it is considered unlucky to
kill a frog; you could lose your luck. Handling frogs and
toads is said to give you warts. If a dog eats a live
frog, it will be unable to bark.

Magickal Attributes: A symbol of initiation and
transformation. Cleaning out negativities and
distractions and replacing them with positive energy. Joy
in a new cycle of life. Being reborn after a period of
seeming-death, when undergoing an initiation of
transformation. Beginning a new life cycle by dispensing
with negative thoughts and deeds.

*Timothy Roderick/The Once Unknown Familiar:
Key Words: Flexible, adaptable, balanced
Magical Influences: Brings forth change, articulation of
emotional issues, power to drive others with
words Personality: The frog personaity is one
that seeks and enjoys change. Frogs have a good natural
balance between the conscious and unconscious minds. They
are articulate individuals and they love any chance to
speak their mind. They can be persuasive beings who can
change the minds of others.

*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams: The
shape of the tadpole looks similar to a young fetus,
thereby symbolizing fertility and fecundity. Egyptian:
Rebirth or figurative renewal in some area of your life.
Shamanic: A messenger regarding matters of health.
Alternatively, a charm against any figurative bad weather
coming your way. Transformation and perspective. The frog
prince of fairy tales reminds us that things are not
always what they seem. In China, frogs represent the
ultimate Yin principle, healing, and business prosperity.
Ancient Greece: A portent of harmony between
lovers.

*Bobby Lake-Thom/Spirits of
the Earth: Frogs are good signs. The Frog is a
doctor and healer, seer and fortune-teller. The Frog is a
messenger of rain, and the power of the Frog can bring
rain and water if one knows how to use its power. On the
other hand, Toads are bad power and bad luck. Sorcerers
use the power and symbol of the Toad to make bad prayers
against people, to cause them sickness, accidents, or
harm in some way. If you see a Toad, they pray for
protection.

*Brad
Steiger/Totems: The frog is a very ancient
symbol of rebirth. In old Egypt, Hekat, Queen of the
heavenly Midwives, wore a sared amulet in the shape of a
frog that bore the inscription, "I am the
Resurrection."

To the
ancient Romans, the frog was sacred to Venus, the love
goddess. The frog as a popular fertility symbol goes all
the way back to During the Middle Ages in Europe, Hekat
had become Hecate, Queen of the Ghostworld or Queen of
the Witches, and her frog totem had become a familiar
that allegedly set curses and spells on the
unwary.

Because of its amphibious
nature, in many systems of magic the frog represents the
transition from earth to water and vice versa. Add to
this its largely nocturnal activities, and the frog
becomes a totem anaimal favored by moon goddesses and
other night creatures.

Early
scientists mused that more than any other of the
"cold-blooded" animals, the frog
appeared to be a transitional step toward humans. Perhaps
this line of thinking encouraged the fairy tales that
tell of transforming a frog into a prince or princess or
vice versa through the magic of a virginal
kiss.

A West African folktale
attributes the advent of death into the world to the
frog, who reached the gods with his decree that humans
should not be immortal before the faithful dog got to
them with his plea that humans should have eternal
life.

For many North American
tribes, the frog was the great rain-maker of spring,
summer, and fall. During the winter months, the people of
the northeastern tribs began to worry about how little
manitous were faring under the ice. A Chippewa folksong
by a poet of long ago imagines the plight of the Okogies
(frogs) as they found themselves crying out for
springtime to arrive. See how the white spirit
presses us, Presses us, presses us, heavy and
long, Presses us down to the frost-bitten
earth. Alas, you are so heay, your spirits so
white. Alas, you are so cold, so cold, so
cold. Cease, white spirits that fall from the
skies. Cease so to cursh us and keep us in
dreat. When will you vanish, and Seegwun
(spring) return?

If you have long
been attracted to the frog as your totem animal, you
quite likely have always been intrigued by a study of the
ancient wisdoms. You may also enjoy delving into the
mysterious and the unknown. You are probably quite
adaptable to sudden changes in your reality and in your
environment, and while you pride yourself on your
independence, you also have a great deal of empathy for
others.

If you have only recently
received frog as your totem animal and spirit helper, you
may be about to undergo an unexpected change in your
lifestyle or a transformation of a high spiritual nature.
In either event, you may rely upon your frog to guide you
safely through what might otherwise be a rather difficult
transitional period. As a spirit helper, you may expect
the frog to encourage you to spend a great deal more time
in meditation and in a more active study of the ancient
mysteries.

*Ted
Andrews/Animal-Wise: Keynote: fertility and new
beginnings.

Frogs have a tremendous
mythology and lore about them. They have been associated
with the Faerie Realm and Egyptian goddesses and gods
(Herit, Isis, and Osiris). To some peoples of the Amazon,
they call the rains and influence the climate. In Europe
they are frequently associated with healing. Whenever
frog appears, we are entering a time of new beginnings.
The creative energies are awakening, and it is a time for
new birth and new starts.

Frogs are
amphibuians, meaning they spend part of their life in
water and part upon the land. They are found everywhere
within the world except Antarctia. All frogs go through
metamorphosis, and their appearance reflects a time of
transformation for us as well. From the eggs come
tadpoles or polliwogs. From the tadpoles come frogs. They
go from being gill breathers, living within the water
(polliwog stage) to being lung breathers upon the land
and the water (frog stage). Because the polliwog
resembles the male spermatozoa, frogs are the heralds of
abundance and fertility on all levels. Frog's appearance
can signal a possible birth or pregnancy for someone
close to us.

The frog heralds an
ideal time to initiate new starts in business. It is a
wonderful time to explore and seek out a new career, job,
or way of life. The appearance of the frog is a
reflection of the maturity and transformation from the
polliwog stage. It is time to hop into new areas of
endeavors. It is beneficial to accept invitations and
offers.

Frogs are keenly attuned to
sound. They possess a very sensitive tympanic organ, and
their element (water) is a tremendous conductor of sound
vibrations. Their croaking is a means of attracting a
mate. If frog has appeared, we should listen for new
opportunities and know that our ability to persuade and
influence people to participate in neew beneficial
endeavors is very great right now. Frog's appearance
heralds an awakening of the unique and creative powers of
our own voice.

Outside the breeding
season, the frog is a solitary creature, living around
marshes, ponds, and damp woodlands or grasslands. As
adults, they always remain semi-aquatic. When frog
appears, the old waters we have been working and living
in may be becoming stagnant and dirty. It is time to
clean them up. There may be something murky about what we
are trying to initiate or with whom we are
associating.

The frog can indicate a
need to take a serious second look before initiating
anything new or starting with someone new. This does not
mean to give up the possibility of change and new starts,
but we may need to plan further before proceeding. Rather
than starting now, a delay or temporary canceling of our
endeavors may be best at this time. Frog may indiate a
need to re-examine offers from others and can herald that
solitary efforts are more productive now than partnership
or group endeavors.

Are we ignoring
new opportunities? Are we mired in the mud of our
day-to-day life? Do we need to dive into some fresh
waters? Are we becoming bogged down in emotions and not
transforming them? Are we becoming too mundane? Are we
repeating old patterns and mistakes rather than moving
onto new things? Are we resisting change and hesitant to
use our own creative forces?

Amphibians are like living pollution testers. They reveal
much about the health of the Earth because they are so
sensitive to such a wide variety of environmental
poisons. That's because they live part of their lives in
water and part of their lives in damp soil. Thus, they
are exposed to both land and water pollutants. They also
have no scales to protect them. A study of the amphibian
life within an environment will reveal tremendous insight
into pollution problems affecting the area and other
indigenous wildlife.

*Note from
Cinnamon: Several years ago now there was a science field
trip led by an elementary school teacher. Her class
discoverd frogs in that area (here in Minnesota) were
deformed, having extra appendages, and other
abnormalities. It was this teacher and her students that
led the EPA to study the water and land toxins in the
area for pollution levels and concerns were high. Frogs
are one of the first signs of trouble and the changes
they were announcing were not good ones. But the message
was received at their expense and studies we underway.

*Open for discussion.

Blessings, Cinnamon"The power and ways are given to us to be passed
on to others." ...........Fools Crow,
Ceremonial Chief, Teton Sioux

Frog Medicine addresses the cleansing of
negative energies in your life. The stages of its
maturing process address the many transformations an
dinitiations you will undergo in the process of maturing.
To see Frog is to know that one of these stages is about
to be encountered. The ability to live in Water and on
land speaks of passing between the worlds; the balance of
the mundane and the spiritual realms is one of Frog's
lessons. He will persuasively speak openly sharing his
views and that persuasive ability is often applied to
sing to the Water and bring rains as well.

Diving to the depths of a pond, Frog can teach
you to retrieve hidden wisdom and ancient mysteries. The
ability to enter in and out of this state also indicates
an adaptable nature and readiness for sporadic and sudden
changes. The watery world speaks of emotion, empathy, and
spiritual rebirth. He will teach you the skills an
dbenefits of regular meditative sessions, trance work,
and working with lunar tides. If your life seems mired
down it is time to learn to enter the waters of
purification and cleanse the negative energies that are
creating muck.

The changing stages
of Frog's growth will tell you where you are standing at
any given point from a pollywog, to a tadpole, to a
mature initiation into Spirit. Once complete, the
transformation that Frog initiates into your life is then
a replenishment of your own expended energies and you
will feel like "hopping to it" as you
apply your new skills. Divination, clairvoyance, and
sensory perceptions are all areas that Frog can instruct
you in as a guide or a teacher. Once Frog has had his
time in the Waters of Consciousness, bathed in the
refreshing rains, and transformed himself in the
initiatory process, he hops onto shore to bask in the sun
and dine on the bounty life offers.

Frog: Sensitivity, Medicine, Hidden Beauty and Power
Frog unites the elements of water and earth, bringing joy, delight and healing in its singing and hopping, and leading you to the sacred spring from which you
may be refreshed and renewed. A cold-blooded creature living half on the land and half in the water, the frog possesses an extremely sensitive skin, considered
magical by shamans. A companion of the rain spirits, they frog can help you develop your sensitivity to others, to healing and to sound through your skin and
your whole body and aura. Nothing is what it appears to be, and life is more fun tha you at first supposed! There is a hidden beauty and a hidden power in all
of nature, and as you open yourself to this you will feel close to the goddess and close to both the earth and to water. Look for the beauty and the magic
behind appearances.

Contrary suggests that you are learning how to embrace difficult circumstances. The frog that you must marry may well turn out to be a prince. The
circumstances you have chosen to accept--whilst apparently unappealing or difficult--may well bring you rich rewards in the end. remember that the frog brings
medicine, and medicine brings healing.